


I Told You So

by crossingwinter



Series: Somewhat canonical [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Friendship, How Filch got the map--Kind of, Not saying I-Told-You-So
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-12
Updated: 2009-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-11 04:18:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/474427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossingwinter/pseuds/crossingwinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When James and Sirius fought, it was their friends who got caught in the middle of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Told You So

"Don't get involved," muttered Remus. "They are big boys now. They are perfectly capable of sorting this out on their own. They don't need us interfering, and frankly, it hasn't got anything to do with us." Remus looked back down at his notes.

But it was either listen to Remus and ignore the fight between Sirius and James, or sit here and study for his Transfiguration Exam.

Peter couldn't tell which one he would rather do less.

" _Look. I'm not asking him to cut off his right hand or anything. I am just asking him to stop venting all his frustration out on Lily. It's not like it's her fault the map got confiscated. We're lucky that's all that happened to it. At least we can nick it again. But he's acting as though the world has ended and Voldemort has declared that he must marry Brunhilda Smetwyck. It's not the end of the bloody world. Besides, we are leaving school in a month. It's not like we really need it anymore…"_

" _I'm not angry at Prongs. I'm not angry at Lily. Stop looking at me like that, Wormy. I just wanted one last hurrah. It's not a big deal."_

Remus was wrong.

They were most certainly not capable of sorting this out on their own. Because no matter how hard they tried to convince the world otherwise, he knew that they were just little boys in many ways. It was strange how those two were infamous, worshipped even, and yet they had the combined maturity of a four-year-old at times. 

"I'll see you later, Remus," he said, sliding his notepad into his bag and stood up.

"When this fails dismally, I promise not to say  _I Told You So_ ," called Remus.

"Thanks for that," replied Peter over his shoulder.

Perhaps the act of the confiscation itself was not a big deal, the way that both boys were claiming. But its effects were catastrophic.

James and Sirius had not spoken to each other in a week. Ironically, each was passing the time they would normally be spending in one another's company exactly the same way: James locked himself and Lily in their dormitory and locked Peter, Remus and Sirius out of it; Sirius disappeared for hours with Leslie Graham.

There were times when he wondered if he should feel bitter about the pair of them. Honestly, it had been  _his_  idea to make the map in the first place.

" _Something to keep track of where people are. That way, I won't always have to keep watch. I can help you."_

" _We don't need your help, Pete. We've got it. You keeping watch is handy and you are quite good at it."_

" _It's not that bad an idea, actually. Could be handy for thievery and the likes."_

But he wasn't the one who was angry at them, even though he had spent hours checking and double checking the floor-plans to make sure they were perfect, even though it had been his idea that they say _Mischief Managed_  to wipe it blank, even though it had been his idea that they find a way to wipe it blank so that no one else could read it in the first place. He was not angry at all, actually. He had always felt that the Map would, someday, fall into Filch's hands and that they were very lucky James had managed to wipe it blank before handing it over. Otherwise, their pranking days would be prematurely over.

"Hullo, Peter." He started and looked around.

"Hi Lily."

"Shouldn't you be studying?"

"Shouldn't  _you_  be studying?"

She laughed. "I'm on duty."

"Where's James, then?"

"Detention." She rolled her eyes.

"Why?" demanded Peter. He had a shrewd suspicion that he would have heard if James had gotten another detention. He and Sirius kept a running tally on the wall across from their beds. So far, it was James 795, Sirius 941. Sirius was annoyed he probably wouldn't get a thousand by the time he finished. James said loudly every time that Sirius bragged that he had had to make some sacrifices when he became Head Boy. He didn't have as much time to do the  _important_  stuff.

"For the whole…map thing…" said Lily, looking sheepish. "He couldn't make his detention because he had another detention for something he refused to tell me about." she looked at him pointedly as though hoping that Peter would tell her the misdeed that had induced the punishment.

" _Come on, Snivelly, fight_ back _!"_

" _Yeah, Snape. The_ Dark Lord _won't want you if you can't even fight off us. What a worthless servant you'd be."_

" _Potter! Black! What on_ Earth _are you doing? Stop that at once!"_

Peter did not say a word.

"In any case, he's doing lines for McGonagall."

"That must be almost a disappointment to him. He's used to so much worse," sighed Peter. Lily laughed again. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah. Well, it's almost summer."

"I don't see how that's a good thing. We'll be out of here for good when we are done."

"Yeah…but it's time, I guess. Besides, aren't you ready for real life? I am."

"No." Peter was not ready for real life. He wanted one more year of school. He didn't feel as though he had learned a damn thing here. Honestly, he had no idea how to cook, or clean, or heal himself in any way, and he had no confidence in his ability to teach himself any of those skills.

Lily looked at him more closely. "Are you Ok?"

"I wish your boyfriend would grow up a bit," Peter said before he could stop himself.  To his surprise, Lily laughed again. "What would be the fun in that?"

"Then maybe he'd stop being a stupid, bloody wanker who has to go and ruin our last month here because him and the other stupid, bloody wanker can't talk like big boys."

"Ahhhh. You are asking him and Sirius to talk about their  _feelings_. There's a lost cause if ever I saw one. Look, they don't talk. They just know one another. It is one of the misfortunes in how their friendship developed. One day in about a week, one of them will sidle up to the other and suggest turning Mackinroy's hair blue one last time and they will be off together, just as before."

"Well, they are still bloody annoying," Peter grumbled.

"To the rest of us, intensely so. To one another…they just get one another on a fundamental level. Sometimes they pretend not to—like right now, for example—and other times they disguise it, but it's there and it always will be. They will probably be old geezers together hooting toothlessly on a front porch as they prank the kids who dare to go on their lawn."

Peter laughed. "Probably."

"Shall we head upstairs?"

"Aren't you on duty?"

"The funny thing about patrol is that no one can actually tell if you are doing it or not. They just know you are when they see you, but if they don't see you, they assume you still are."

"This is what James told you when he was convincing you to use the map instead of patrolling, wasn't it."

"Yes. And for once in his unbearably immature existence, he wasn't completely wrong. Besides, everyone is in full study mode for exams. I doubt there will be tons of trouble."

" _So, I need the map again tonight."_

" _I thought you were being a prissy goody-two-shoes tonight."_

" _I am. Which means I need the map so that we can keep an eye on it while we hang out in that niche in the stairway up to the Divination room."_

" _What is this? Is our Head Boy shirking his duties to get a little somethin' somethin' on the side? For shame, James Potter! For shame!"_

" _Shut it. It's about the only time we have to do it, and frankly, I'll take whatever I can get. So give me the map."_

" _McGonagall won't like it if she catches you."_

" _She isn't going to catch me."_

"Those are famous last words," said Peter.

"They are, but I am willing to tempt fate. It's the only fun thing left in life when you have to leave school."

"You said it."

"I think you are wrong."

"What about?"

"I think they need a push in the right direction. This is the worst fight I've ever seen between them."

"Well, you stand at the top of a staircase with Sirius, and I'll stand at the bottom with James, and when we count to three, we push. Sound good?"

"Very funny, that."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"I…I dunno."

"So, let's leave it, shall we. They'll be fine. They are big boys now." Peter rolled his eyes. "All right, fine. They are physically big and emotionally about two. Happy?"

"Yes."

They reached the Fat Lady.

"Happy New Year," said Lily. The Fat Lady rolled her eyes.

" _Look, It's the perfect password."_

" _New Years was almost two months ago, James."_

" _Exactly. So no one will know that that's what it is. Who would think that, in February, Gryffindor Tower might change its password to_ Happy New Year _. It works brilliantly."_

"I do hope you will change it soon," said the Fat Lady.

"I doubt it. James is rather attached," sighed Lily.

The Fat Lady shrugged and swung forward. The two seventh years climbed through.

Lily pointed to a corner of the common room.

Sirius and James were bent over a scrap of parchment. They looked deep in concentration. Remus was thoroughly ignoring them.

"See? They've gotten back together," said Lily sarcastically. She went over to sit with Mary Macdonald and Alice Hoffman.

"What the hell are you two doing?" demanded Peter.

"Do you think we could make another map?" asked James.

"In a month? With exams coming? You must be mental," snapped Peter. He sat down next to Remus and picked up a Transfiguration textbook.

"What's his problem?" demanded Sirius.

"No idea," replied James.

Peter looked over at Remus. Remus was watching him. He rolled his eyes in a way that clearly said  _I Told You So_.

"You promised," grumbled Peter.

"I didn't say anything, did I?"

"Oh shut up and quiz me, will you?"


End file.
